CAMDEN — By PATRIC FLANNIGAN
Staff writer
The 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force held its by monthly meeting on Friday at the Ouachita County Sheriff’s Department in Camden. The group discussed funding to help support the organization.
13th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Rogers opened the meeting by introducing some of the group’s newest members such as Rison Police Chief Peggy Stallings, Magnolia Police Chief Todd Dew and El Dorado Police Chief Ken Hickman. He also thanked Ouachita County Sheriff David Norwood for hosting the group at his department. Rogers then introduced Arkansas Department of Finance Administration’s Tanya Patton and thanked her for “always making sure we have all our necessary paperwork in order to continue to receive the funding.”
After approving the minutes and the financial report, the group discussed funding for Arkansas DTF’s in the future. Fiscal Officer Mary Dempster spoke to the DTF about a high-level meeting she recently attended in Little Rock. She shared that funding is running low and that a proposal has been brought forth to Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Dempster stated that the proposal focused a lot on the $125 drug assessment fee, and that DTF’s around the state could be put into tiers. The 13th Judicial District DTF would be in Tier 2 and would have a funding match of 25 percent, and a staffing match of two agents. The proposal would also push for communities to engage in more drug and opioid overdose prevention. She emphasized that this was just a proposal, and that things could change.
After one attendee stated that it sounded like DTF groups are being phased out state-wide, Dempster stated that it is an issue Hutchinson has known about and is working on diligently.
“The governor has said he cannot afford to let the Drug Task Forces fail,” said Dempster. “He has known about this for 18 months and has been working on it. That’s why this proposal went to the governor to see what he wants to do and how he can fund it. He’s working on a plan, but right now, we just still don’t know what that plan is.”
Rogers said that getting cases finalized would help with DTF funding, as well funding by the $125 drug assessment fee. He stated that the majority of cases in the district are drug related, even in some of the smaller cities. Rogers cited that there are usually 65 cases in Fordyce, and that Ouachita County has 30-plus pages of drug cases. He added that everyone has to work together to get good results in court cases - that way it will boost the DTF’s voice in Little Rock.
“Judge Henry Carroll’s plea docket is 19 pages,” Rogers explained. “So how many of these cases are drug cases? How many of those $125’s are on this one docket alone? Then, do that across all six counties. Hampton’ docket, for Hampton now, we have 40 on the docket in front of Judge Carroll for Wednesday. Hampton has never had a docket like that… (The) faster we get our evidence submitted to the crime lab, the faster we get our report back, that means the faster we can get a case closed whether it’s by plea or by trial - and prosecutors can’t be afraid of a trial.
That’s the way we as prosecutors break cases in these dockets loose is by trying some people, getting some good verdicts, and then everybody’s trying to pull the door off their cells to get out and take the plea deal. So the faster we can process these cases from beginning to , faster we can get some revenue streams coming in.”
Rogers also said that drug courts are running out of funding as well, and that drug courts are “very important” because it is one of the ways to help some people.
Dempster shared that the drug assessment fee was started in 2007 and was projected to bring in over $5 million a year with DTF only using about $3.5 million. However, the fee isn’t always paid.
“The problem is they can assess that fee all year long,” Dempster explained.
“Until it’s paid, we don’t get any of it. There’s a lot of them out there that won’t pay it. If they are sent to prison, it won’t be paid. If they take a probation, then by the time they add all of their other court cost fees and stuff they have to pay, that gets paid to the State of Arkansas.”
She went on to state that it was suggested to Hutchinson to raise the assessment fee. But Hutchinson declined because it is usually the family members of the defendants - not the defendants themselves - who have to pay for those fees.
Dempster talked about the possibilities of attaching a drug assessment fee to a bonding fees or booking fees. She explained that those fees have to be paid up front in order for a defendant to get out of jail, and that would ensure that the assessment fee gets paid.
Rogers said that would be a suggestion that would have to go through legislation - which wouldn’t happen until 2020.
Patton shared with the group that there is a Local Law Enforcement Equipment Grant available. She stated that the grant doesn’t go to the DTF, but through the individual departments that make up the DTF. She said the grant is worth $2,300 per department.
Before dismissing, the group briefly discussed the importance of locating income and resident’s information during search warrants.
“We have been lucky before,” Rogers said. “I think on one really large one (case) that Sheriff Norwood’s office worked, (suspect) actually had his tax returns close to all of his marijuana and his money and his tax returns showed $13,000 in reported income.
“It’s hard to justify having $239,000 and a whole bunch of dope and guns when you’re only making $13,000 a year.”